Markus Reiterberger gets World Championship Wildcard

Exciting times lay ahead for Markus Reiterberger and the Team Van Zon-Remeha-BMW. The 19-year old German took the lead in the IDM*SUPERBIKE championship only last week en now got confirmation he will be able to show his talent at the next level

Thanks to a so called Wildcard, Reiterberger and his team will be able to participate at the tenth round of the World Superbike Championship at the Nürburgring on September 1st. this will mark his first start in the world championship.

“We decide on taking this step together,” says Team Principal Werner Daemen, “because Markus has had a unbelievably good season in the IDM so far. We will adapt a BMW S 1000 RR to the world championship rules in order to give our riders a chance to show his talent to the fullest extent.”

Reiterberger will be able to ride a specially built bike, only the electronics package will consist of the standard equipment used in the IDM championship.

The BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport team, already supporting the Team Van Zon-Remeha-BMW all season, will again be in charge of preparing and setting up the electronics. “With alpha Racing, Castrol, alpha Technik, Öhlins and Pirelli, all our usual partners will be there to support us,” says Daemen.

This participation in the World Superbike Championship will enable the Belgian-German team, along with all its sponsors, to show themselves along with the riders at the technologically highest level.

“After we decided to go for it internally within the team, along with Marcus, to apply for the Wildcard,” speaks Daemen, “I got in touch with all of our main sponsors, such as Van Zon, Remeha, Motorsportschool Zolder and BMW Motorrad Deutschland. Everyone was pleased with the idea and gave their go-ahead for this adventure. My thanks go out to all of them.”

For Markus Reiterberger, this next step might be the first towards the future. But it will not come easy, challenging the professional riders on their works machines. “But he as a rider, and we as a team can only learn from this experience and regard it as an investment in the future,” says Daemen.

“When this idea got serious,” says Markus Reiterberger, “Werner put in his maximum effort to make this work. I feel greatly supported by my team and I’m both excited and nervous to take on this challenge. But I like the Nürburgring. Last spring I finished on the podium in the FIM-Superstock 1000 Cup there.”

“Again I would like to thank everyone who made this possible and we will meet again at the Nürburgring,” says Werner Daemen.